Trying to put some sort of 'about' page together, i was thinking what to write about nina and got lost in this warm feeling looking back .

And there she was...

We knew each other - though barely - from the Goodson (Nick Cave) & Blue Wastebin (Einstürzende Neubauten) mailing lists, exchanging a few mails, maybe icq, can't remember for sure.

I do remember one day she told me she got tickets for the Meltdown festival '99, which was hosted by Nick Cave and he'd also do a gig with the Bad Seeds. Being a really huge fan myself, i was envious at her and disappointed all tickets had sold out. However - lucky me- i did manage to get a ticket too (Thanks Sara!), so i booked a flight and hotel.

17 june 1999 wandering around london for a while, meeting up, getting my ticket and off to the venue. And there she was, said hi, talked a bit and went inside to see the band play. Not a very good show, a nice girl though.

Back home we started chatting quite a lot, during the day using email and every evening on icq.

Meanwhile, i managed to get tickets for a Nick Cave solo show at Lucerna, Prague, 18 november 1999. I planned to go there with someone else, but as she couldn't make it, i arranged with nina i'd pick her up and she'd share my hotel room. We did and became really good friends during those days wandering around the beautiful capital of the Czech Republic.

No, we're just friend

Back home we kept in touch on maybe even an hourly base and she came over a couple of times to visit me and we'd always have a good time. Visit some of my friends, drinking wine, playing Unreal Tournament the whole night.

At some point she said she wanted to move out from her parents' home, but didn't know where to go. I told her she could move in with me as i was living alone anyway and had the spare room up for rent. Without hesitation she agreed and moved in a few weeks later on 2 february 2000.

We enjoyed being such good friends and living in the same house. Just friends as we told everybody, again and again triggering the Yeah, right... response. No really, just friends!

1 april 2000, Columbiahalle, Berlin. Neubauten having their 20th anniversary gig. Of course we had to go. We decided to stay in Berlin for a couple of days and for some reason straight on to London afterwards.

To this date the best show i've ever seen. Neubauten absolutely brilliant, 3+ hours of deconstructing and redefining music. And nina standing right in front of me. Me looking at the band. At her. And understanding i was deeply in love with her.

A couple of days later, London, outside the Dr. Martens store on the corner of Covent Garden and King street i took hold of her. And kissed her.